Some Hiccups Moving KevinTheTechGuy.ca To Substack, But All is Well Now

KevinTheTechGuy.ca went down for a few days due to DNS issues between Substack and my old host. Here’s what happened, what I did to fix it, and why everything’s working again now.

First off, I want to sincerely apologize for the unexpected downtime this past week. If you tried visiting KevinTheTechGuy.ca and ran into issues, you weren’t alone. The good news is that my Substack site was still fully accessible using the regular Substack address, but I get that most people just type in the main website address.

I also want to reiterate my reasons for switching to Substack. Simply put, I was spending too much time working on my Wordpress site, and putting together blog posts, rather than focusing on what really matters - content, and making money from it.

I also appreciate that Substack is comfortable with users having a website on their service for free upfront, only expecting a 10% cut when money is made. Although I appreciate my previous website host, too much money was spent on designing and customizing the website vs content.

I certainly don’t agree with every decision Substack has made, but they are the right service for what I need right now based on what they offer. I can say that with confidence, having tried the alternatives for my free newsletter.

What Went Wrong

Some behind-the-scenes DNS problems cropped up. Basically, it’s the system that tells your browser where to find my site hit a snag. After some digging and troubleshooting with both Substack and my previous host, things are now sorted out.

The Technical Bit (Without Getting Too Nerdy)

It looks like Substack had a problem with the DNS setup at my former host, Web Savers. I was never given a clear reason why, but rather than keep chasing it, I moved my DNS management to Cloudflare. They offer a free, reliable option, giving me more control over the settings.

From there, a Substack support rep gave me the needed DNS records. I also leaned on ChatGPT to figure out where exactly to input that info, since the official Substack instructions don’t cover it very clearly or completely, or at least assumed some DNS know-how.

I did pass along that feedback to Substack, in case they’re open to improving the guide and their process for other users.

Substack Fixed Something Too

Around the same time, Substack also resolved some DNS issues on their end. So between the DNS switch and their own fix, everything finally clicked into place. It just took a few days with the wait in between troubleshooting, and for the updated DNS records to take effect.

All Is Well Again

KevinTheTechGuy.ca now points to my Substack site like it should, and everything is working properly again.

No Hard Feelings

Just to be clear, I still use Web Savers to host my domain and my other domains with them, and have no issues with them. In fact, they’ve been fantastic from day one. They were helpful and did what they could. This was just one of those annoying tech hiccups that took a bit of trial and error to resolve.

Wrapping Up

Thanks so much for your patience while I got this sorted. I’m not a DNS expert, and Substack’s documentation left a few gaps, but everything’s up and running again.

Appreciate you sticking with me!